HomePLANTS & ANIMALSECOLOGYAn exploration of global patterns of trade in arachnids reveals 1,264 species...

An exploration of global patterns of trade in arachnids reveals 1,264 species from 66 families

Scientists found a large trade in arachnids across the internet. The study was published in the journal Communications Biology. Scientists describe their study of arachnid trade via the internet and possible repercussions of so many of the creatures being traded across the world.

In the study, the wildlife trade has been shown to be a major driver of loss of biodiversity. As creatures are captured and traded, their numbers in the wild diminish. They also note that some creatures that are traded get a lot of attention. While invertebrates are often ignored by both the press and social media. But I their new study, scientists looked to gain a better perspective on the global trade of one particular type of invertebrate which is arachnids.

Scientists went straight to the source which is online listings. They found approximately 1,264 species for sale or trade.They suggest that far more are for sale than they found because they did not also track sales on social media sites. They note that the majority of the species they found for sale were not recognized as being traded by any governing or regulatory body.

So, all such sales were perfectly legal. They also found what appeared to be a greater reward for sellers who have spiders with more colorful attributes. They also note that most of those specimens they saw belong to species that are known to have long lifespans.

The researchers suggest the huge number of sales represents a threat to the survival of many species. They note that the majority of specimens they found online came from the wild. This means they are not being bred for sale. It suggests that pressure on those that are left behind. The team also found that a lot of the information used to describe specimens for sale was inaccurate.

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